Spitfire beetle
|name = Spitfire beetle|kingdom = Animalia|phylum = Arthropoda|class = Insecta|image = Documentary= |-|Cartoon= }} The '''spitfire beetle' is a species of social predatory beetle native to the Antarctic Forest of 100 million AD, notable for their ability to closeley mimic the appearance of a spitfire tree blossom in order to ambush prey. Biology Spitfire beetles resemble a typical beetle of the Human era, and, individually, are notable only for their bright red-and-yellow colouration. Their hind legs are similar to those of grasshoppers, allowing them to propel themselves forwards, and their forelegs have grappling-hook-like claws. Several parts of their body help them to resemble spitfire blossoms: their colouration, their stamen-like antennae, their petal-like elytra, and their heads and thoraxes, which when put together resemble the centre of a flower. Behaviour Spitfire beetles spend most of their lives in sibling groups of four. They are carnivorous ambush predators, and, to hunt, they mimic the appearance of a spitfire tree blossom. The four beetles position themselves on a spitfire trunk, standing head to head in a cross formation, then spread their wings, revealing the highly-camoflauged parts of their bodies. The beetles will wait until a spitfire bird approaches the "flower," then leap at it using their grasshopper-like legs, seizing it and killing it with their strong jaws and hooked claws. All four beetles will then share the carcass of the bird. When the spitfire tree's flowering season ends and spitfire birds no longer approach the trees, the beetle colonies disperse, moving off in search of mates. Once mated, the male beetle dies, and the pregnant female lays clutches of four eggs beneath the bark of spitfire trees. The female beetle also dies soon afterwards, and the eggs hatch the following spring, when the spitfire tree's flowering season has begun again. Ecology The spitfire beetle is one of a large community of organisms which relies on the spitfire tree: as noted above, not only is it specifically adapted to hunt spitfire birds by imitating the flower of the tree, it also lays its eggs beneath its bark. Because spitfire birds get their acidic chemicals from the spitfire tree flowers, the beetles don't have to worry about getting sprayed, since a spitfire bird will only move in to feed from a flower when its store of chemicals is depleted. Appearances In the documentary "Tropical Antarctica" shows a group of spitfire beetles ambushing and killing a spitfire bird. So werid In the animated series Major appearances "Extreme Bird Watching" follows a spitfire beetle named Nix, who becomes seperated from his hunting companions. He eventually settles in Ethan's flower-hat, and helps Ethan to escape from an aggressive falconfly by distracting it. In the end, he finds his friends and rejoins their "flower". List of appearances *''The Future Is Wild'' **1x01. Welcome to the Future **1x08. Tropical Antarctica *''The Future Is Wild: A Natural History of the Future'' *''The Future Is Wild'' (fulldome show) *''The Future Is Wild'' animated series **1x02. Extreme Bird Watching *''The Future Is Wild: The Living Book'' Navigation Category:Animals Category:Invertebrates Category:Insects Category:Organisms of 100 million AD Category:Organisms of the Antarctic Forest Category:100 million AD